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Apple CEO Steve Jobs has leapfrogged ahead of some legendary names on a new list honoring the great all-time heroes in engineering. A recent survey of 900 British engineering undergraduates by General Electric aimed to find the greatest engineering heroes who ever lived.

Surpassing the likes of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and even Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs placed third overall on the list - ahead of Bill Gates but behind Isambard Kingdom Brunel and James Dyson, of Dyson vaccum fame - who pioneered the first Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner. Fittingly, Dyson really "cleaned up" when it came to this list, "sucking" the top spot away from the other prominent names on the list

Also turning up among the top ten were Nikola Tesla, Frank Whittle, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Of the esteemed assembly of legendary names, Mark Elborne, President and CEO of GE UK, said: "Our research shows that iconic figures - both historic and modern - continue to inspire a new generation of engineers. We continue to see the impact of these icons all around us today; and our research shows that we have a proud tradition of pioneers and innovators in this country, which should be celebrated."

"With the very significant environmental, energy and healthcare challenges we face today and will face in the future, it is critical that we continue to inspire young people into engineering and science, nurturing future generations of Brunels, Newtons and Edisons," Elborne concluded.